Wow! Amazing wear on the 701s IIIrd! Did you do an initial soak before wearing?

I read a post on a different forum that if you don't pre-soak to get a lot of the starch out, you could increase the chances of having the stitching rip by wearing them since it's a lot of stress. Truth in that?

I know Ryan from Context didn't do an initial soak and I like the contrast he got, which I'm assuming is due to how stiff the denim was with the starch in it initially?

Wow! Amazing wear on the 701s IIIrd! Did you do an initial soak before wearing?

I read a post on a different forum that if you don't pre-soak to get a lot of the starch out, you could increase the chances of having the stitching rip by wearing them since it's a lot of stress. Truth in that?

I know Ryan from Context didn't do an initial soak and I like the contrast he got, which I'm assuming is due to how stiff the denim was with the starch in it initially?

Thanks in advance, hoping to pick up my first pair of Japanese denim!

i've always believed in "soak before wear', which goes back to the very 1st 501 STFs i ever had. nowadays, i triple soak__ [hot soak + hang dry] x2 + warm soak after a couple of wears. then, periodic soaks [when needed] until the time is ripe for a wash. as for the right time, it is determined by factors such as personal preference; frequency + intensity of use; & nature/behavior of denim [ie, fast, medium, or slow fader].

no-soak means sharper creasing & more dramatic contrast, but [in my personal experience] makes the jeans prone to tears & thread breakage. putting into consideration the amount of $$ + effort + time i put in on each investment, i'd like to have a return in terms of years of enjoying them

Can anyone shed any light as to the benefits of the quoted above? Looking to purchase the 701 based on this entire thread. Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

- 15.7oz shrink-to-fit raw selvedge

This specifies the weight of the denim in oz. per square yard as well as the fact that it is shrink-to-fit denim rather than preshrunk denim. Denim weight is a matter of personal preference, but heavier weight denims tend to have more character to their weave and tend to be more durable than lighter weight denims. 15.7 oz. is considered to be on the heavier side of denim, but there are certainly heavier denims than that as well.

Shrink-to-fit vs. preshrunk denim is also a matter of personal preference, but the best jeans makers tend to favor shrink-to-fit denim over preshrunk denim.

This specifies the size of the yarns used to weave the denim and states that the denim is dyed with natural indigo rather than synthetic indigo. 6 is considered to be a thick yarn for denim, and denims woven with thicker yarns tend to have more character to their weave and tend to be more durable as well.

Jeans dyed with natural indigo tend to hold their color longer and fade slower than those dyed with synthetic indigo, but AFAIK, this statement is incorrect in reference to the Momotaro 701. The 701 is dyed with synthetic indigo, not natural indigo, to my knowledge.

- 100% Zimbabwe cotton

Zimbabwe cotton is considered by most to be the finest quality in the world.

You'll notice that I used the phrase "tend to" a lot above. This is because even though what I stated will apply to the overwhelming majority of cases, there are certainly exceptions to my generalizations.

Are the Grand Indigo worth the price? These are some serious jeans, but I already have both a raw indigo, and a raw black that i have to fade. Not sure if this is blue or black.

The Grand Indigos are both blue and black. The warp threads (vertical threads) of the denim are blue, while the weft yarns (horizontal threads) are black.

I would definitely say that they are worth the price, at least in comparison to other denim in their price range. The cost is similar to Momotaro's regular models, maybe up to $25 more at most, and the denim color is pretty rare.

i've put about 7.5 hard months into these and gave them a break for the summer as the crotch was wearing thin this spring. i just wore them for a week straight while on vaction in nyc boston and cape cod. the clerk at BIG was impressed which made my denim ego swell as i already was very pleased with how these are shaping up.

i bought them true to size (32) but i definitely had trouble buttoning them at first assuming they would give a bit. they have stretched about an inch in the waist but i'm a little nervous about washing them for the first time even though they are filthy as they are pretty snug still. sturdiest denim i've come across.

i'll get back to you guys on the washing.

the color is definitely washed out a little in the pictures and the pictures make them look a little grimier than they are. but they are still pretty grimy. enjoy.